Crime in Albania divided into layers/ Politics and selective silence

2026-06-21 14:25:00, Aktualitet CNA

Crime in Albania is not a single block. It has layers, and each of them affects the public in a different way.

Murders and assassinations remain the most brutal forms, because they send the signal that the perpetrators are acting with open courage. When an assassination occurs in broad daylight, on busy streets, the message is twofold: the target is being hit, but the state is also being publicly challenged.

From murders to accidents, the picture is broader
June 20, 16:59

Drug trafficking and money laundering continue to be key nodes. Not only for economic gain, but because they finance other criminal chains, buy silence, distort the market and create parallel powers. At this point, crime is no longer a police problem. It is a problem of the real economy and fair competition.

Criminal events in Albania/ Why are they repeated and where is the breeding ground for criminality?
June 21, 14:04

Domestic violence is another scourge that is often treated as a common occurrence, when in reality it is an indicator of a social and institutional failure. In many cases, the signals have existed, the reports have been made, but the response has been weak or formal. The cost is then paid with life.

Likewise, robberies, extortion, property conflicts, and crime related to local businesses show that insecurity is not limited to large gangs. It permeates neighborhoods, families, businesses, and everyday relationships.

The role of politics and selective silence

One cannot seriously talk about criminal events in Albania without touching on the connection between crime and the political climate. Not every crime is political.

But any system that tolerates the influence of the dark world in the economy, administration, or electoral campaigns weakens the state's ability to crack down on crime to the end.

Why do serious events repeat?/ The role of institutions and questions that should not be closed
June 20, 16:20

The problem begins when the news is used with a double standard. When one event is used for political warfare and another is relativized because it affects interests close to power. When some cases are given high profile and others are covered up with official silence. This is not just hypocrisy. This is a way to politicize public safety.

The public understands this faster than the propaganda offices think. Therefore, distrust grows. People are not only angry about crime. They are angry when they feel that they are being sold a sterilized version of reality. This is where the media has a crucial role – not to feed panic, but to prevent panic from being managed with lies. /CNA